Superb Opinion

  • As soon as they start asking questions. You don't do a child any favors keeping them naive.

    I'm going to tell you some biographical stories about the dangers of dodging questions kids have.

    When I realized that babies came out of women I asked my mother how I got out of her. She could have easily said "out of my foo foo." Would have been all I need to know without any scarring.

    Instead she lifted her shirt and showed me her caesarean scar without explaining that not everyone is born in that way. She just said that's where I came out of and left it at that. I was horrified because I thought birth was like that chest burster scene in Alien.

    When I asked what the difference between men and women was my mom would just say "women have long hair or short curly hair. Men have short straight hair." Not only did that leave me believing that all black people, other than the bald ones, were female and all of my female teachers with short straight hair were male, it left me believing that if anyone cut my hair I'd become a boy.

    In first grade a boy threw a wad of gum at me and it got stuck in my hair. My teacher said it would have to be cut out. She spent five minutes chasing me around the classroom with me shouting "SHE'S GOING TO TURN ME INTO A BOY!"

    Two years later, at the age of 8, my hippie cousin came in my grandpa's house for the first time in my lifetime with his long flowing locks, and I said to my mom "I thought girls didn't have beards." My mom said "Junior's a man." That led to "if it's not the hair then what's the difference between boys and girls?" One of my well meaning older cousins said "boys don't have a foo foo." Everyone stonewalled me on the followup question "then what do they have?"

    One of my similarly aged cousins was in the bathroom and he never locked the door, so I barged in on him. When he tried to cover up I grabbed the front of his underwear, pulled it down, looked at it, and knowing my mother had followed me in to try to stop me, turned to her and said "how hard was that (pointing to my cousin's penis) to explain?" My aunt, the grandmother of the cousin I stripped down, talked her out of punishing me because she had been telling her for years to answer my questions honestly.

    After his heart started again he came out of the bathroom and asked what was going on. His grandma explained that I just wanted to know the difference between boys and girls.

    To my aunt's shock, since she had always been up front with her kids on those subjects and thought they would be with their kids, he let out a frustrated "for the last time, what IS the difference?" That same well meaning cousin/his aunt, said "girls don't have a wee wee." That led to a loop of "then how do they pee?" "They just sit down and pee." "But they don't have a wee wee. So what do they pee out of?" "They just sit down and pee." "But without a wee wee where does the pee come out of?" "They don't need one. They just sit down." Finally my grandpa put a stop to it and told us to go out and play.

    We went out to the "talkin' truck," a broken down farm truck that we sat on and talked when we couldn't find anything to do. Since I had seen his frame of reference I was able to explain to him about the "foo foo," with its pee hole above a mystery hole (at least it was a mystery to me at that point). I had to pee and didn't want to go back inside, so I took him out behind the barn and showed him.

    So if they know how to actually have sex by the age of 10 then you've gone too far. If your eight year old daughter has to forcibly undress a male relative or your ten year old son has to watch his little cousin pee behind a barn to to get their questions answered then you're failing as a parent when it comes to answering the uncomfortable questions.

    • This is a brilliant answer MHG

Most Helpful Girl

  • What they need to know should be based on their age more specifically.

    Young kids should be taught what inappropriate touching even from adults they know is and that they should tell someone if it happens and that it is not their fault or to be ashamed of the actions of someone else on their body.

    Older minors should be educated on the consequences and responsibility that comes with being sexually active. STD's, birth control, use of condoms, and myths about sex that should be clarified on.

    Most parents of conservative backgrounds have a tendency to be too ashamed to talk about sex or will create a taboo around it. These tactics they believe will keep young people away from sex when usually the exact opposite happens.

    Education allows people to make the right choices. When one notices their kids going through the signs that show their body is becoming physically an adult with the rise of hormones that should be when talks begin.

    • As early as possible is my opinion!

    • Conservatives believe in teaching facts. Boys have a penis. Girls have a vagina. Boys don't have periods or have babies. Girls do. Liberals lie to children about sex.

Most Helpful Guys

  • Ya know I have a friend who told me this (he’s an older guy, really smart) teenagers can’t drink, smoke, drive, join the military until certain ages due to laws yet there is no restriction on them having sex. This does lead to irresponsible sex which leads to many issues for a lot people. So personally I think a child/teen shouldn’t really know about Sex until at least 18. My friend said that people aren’t even truly ready for children until they’re ready mentally and financially. Of course people still get around and disobey the law however, our gov’t puts no restriction on sex and actually promotes it to children subconsciously. Again this leads to many issues so I personally believe they really shouldn’t know about it until they reach a more mature age to make more responsible decisions.

  • They ask for information at the point they are.

    1st it's "what's that" - seeing the other gender's parts
    Next "why isn't mine like that"
    Then when they see a pregnant lady and you have the "baby in her tummy" conversation including the "how did it get there" and "why" questions.

    They reach it at different rates. My son is 2 and his nanny is pregnant so we've had the "baby in her tummy" conversation a couple of times. He puts his ear to her belly to try to hear it ❤️

    He's not ready for the exact procreation talk yet but he'll ask as he's ready.

    Don't force too much info on them too fast unless you want some serious issues later.

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What Girls & Guys Said

37 77

  • My mom is an RN who worked specifically in labor and delivery so we all learned pretty early. It was something we just talked about even at dinner time. It wasn't all at once, but I found out first for more reasons than just one. I dont think it needs to be a certain age. It should be by their curiosity and maturity level.

  • I learned around 6 through R-rated films. I seem to have turned out all right. Well, not really so maybe I should have learned sooner.

  • My 11 years old sister know too much because she watch a TikTok. TikTok is dangerous for kid I swear. I think I don't have to teach her what sex is. She know the emoji thing and she even ever asked me "how can a cat almost die because a guy rape it?" I just quiet and say nothing

  • I'd say about 11 years old. That's when they start puberty/feeling those sorts of things. It's also about when kids at school are going to start talking about it, and if you want your kids to learn about these things from you and not from school or health class you've got to tell them about then

  • You can start talking to them about it when they are young. My oldest was 4, he wanted to know how his baby brother got in my tummy.
    .
    Youngest isn’t quite there yet. We talk about the differences in male and female anatomy.
    .
    I really like the book “It’s not the stork.” It’s appropriate for ages 4+ and explains in easy to understand language.

  • 15!

    Teaching kids about sex before 15 is just wrong & borderline pedophilia.

    Teaching kids about sex after 15 is a bit too late.

    I think 15 is the sweet spot. Most kids are in their puberty & can now learn about what to do & what not to do.

    • Read responses on this site to questions about when people have lost their virginity, plenty of people say 13/14, maybe even younger. 15 is too late.

    • Bro most kids have tried sex before they turn 12.

    • I wouldn't say most but some will have, maybe some cultures are different and it's more prevalent. My point was 15 is way too late

    • Show All

  • 4 - 6 years old. This is the age our country teaches kids. This gets taught all the way through to the kid is around 13 - 15yr old. We are not a religious country nor are we stupid. We have one of the best schooling in the world and our kids are smart enough to understand something so simple as sex. By this point they've already seen vaginas etc. and have a tonne of questions so we see it as ignorant on the parents part to not teach the kid. They need to understand that masterbating is normal, periods are normal, erections are normal, curiousity is normal, and to also respect others' personal space as well as the 'dos and don'ts'.

    • So you're saying that religious countries are stupid?

  • Kids should not, and need not, learn everything at once. They can be told bits and pieces as they mature to the point of being able to understand and as their curiosity prompts them to ask questions.

  • In progressive Western society, the best contemporary example is Amsterdam's school policy to BEGIN candid discussions around third grade.

    Its paid dividends in majorly reduced pre-teen & teen pregnancy, ... increased availability of contraception and a significantly reduced incidence of exploratory sex experimentation.

  • In stages, sort of drip feeding and not just a bucket over the head approach

    also from both parents but separately

  • 13. That's the age. Age thirteen.

  • Whenever they ask about bodies and babies and when they see things. Appropriate open honest answers and explanations at any age.

  • If it's possible, I'd say it's a case by case basis and do so when the child begins puberty. If its in the educational system then I'd say to shoot for an average age group that they begin puberty like 12 to 13.

  • i did just from school but even then there's a ton of stuff you don't know until you actually do it

  • They should have a very basic understanding of reproduction by age five with details filled in as they are able to understand them.

  • I would say at the age of going outside home, the first thing I would tell them that Their bodies belong to them only and no one are allowed to touch them without their consent.

  • Whenever they ask. If they ask questions about their body you tell them in the most age appropriate way possible. They ask where babies come from you tell them in the most age appropriate way possible. Use proper terms.

    • I honestly can't stress enough to use proper terms. If your kid is inappropriately touched by anyone how are they going to tell anyone and be believed if they're calling their penis/vagina a foo-pa, dingle, wingle. The correct terms are not bad words.

    • @smashingdoozy exactly 👏👏👏🙌🙌 And it’s the same for other words, just because some adults are thick, please don’t pass it on to your kids.

  • Earlier than before, since they are bound to come in contact with it way earlier "thanks" to trash TV and the freedom of content on the internet. And even if you shield them in the homestead, some friends of him will sooner or later call them aside "Oi, look at this" and there he is, watching a hottie getting plowed mercilessly.
    So yeah, 13-14 years old is when they should start learning about it, in a better way than a porn movie can teach them.

  • As early as possible starting with self awareness for their own body and body parts. This helps to stop inappropriate activity with children and helps improve knowledge of consequences as young adults. Uniformed people are always the ones who end up in the rough spots and in trouble regarding sex.

  • Twelve unfortunately

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